Discussion on Papers 5 and 6

Mr A.W. Karp (Hazen and Sawyer, Consulting Engineers, Miami) In many developing countries there exists a vocational 'gap' between engineers who are technically overqualified for work on rural water projects, and skilled workers such as plumbers and masons who are not capable of designing such systems. A small non-government organization in Guatemala, Agua del Pueblo (The People's Water Association), is training rural water technicians to fill this gap. Unlike most engineers, these rural water technicians come from the rural area and are happy to make a career working there. Agua del Pueblo has a six-month training course which covers such technical skills as measuring flow from small springs, surveying, drafting, and selecting pipe diameters, as well as non-technical skills such as community organizing.